Fast Break: Bradley, Bass help Celtics cut down Nets

Posted By
Ben Rohrbach
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January 4, 2012 @ 9:49 pm
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Thanks to 24 points from Paul Pierce[1] and double-doubles from both Kevin Garnett[2] (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Brandon Bass[3] (15 points, 13 rebounds), the Celtics[4] outscored the Nets[5] 29-12 in the third quarter and dominated the shorthanded visitors 89-70 on Wednesday night.

It wasn’t all pretty for the C’s, as Providence College product Marshon Brooks‘s 15 first-half points gave the Nets a 35-34 lead after 24 sloppy minutes on both sides.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

The Truth will set you free: Celtics captain Paul Pierce submitted another remarkably efficient effort, totaling 24 points on 14 shots, six rebounds and five assists in under 30 minutes. His production helped the Celtics turn a one-point halftime deficit into a 16-point C’s advantage after three quarters.

Bass is a beast: The Cs Sixth Man once again came up big for the shorthanded Celtics, recording his second double-double of the season and his first since totaling 20 points and 11 rebounds against the Knicks on Christmas Day. Likewise, Avery Bradley[6] turned in his best performance of the season, exerting his usual energy on defense (2 steals) and even contribution offensively (11 points).

The Nets came to town: Playing against a team that isn’t expected to compete for a playoff spot, even with its best players, the Celtics faced a New Jersey squad missing its starting point guard (Deron Williams), center (Brook Lopez[7]) and power forward (Kris Humphries). That alone allowed Celtics coach Doc Rivers[8] to test his bench and survive without Ray Allen[9] and the always enjoyable flu-like symptoms.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Letting the Nets hang around: Just as they did time and time again last season, the Celtics let an inferior team hang around far too long. Sure, they put New Jersey away in the second half, but failure to execute combined with not taking opponents seriously for long stretches of games is never a good thing.

Rondo’s carelessness: Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo[10] may have entered the game with the NBA’s second-best assist average (10.5 per game), but he also came in leading the league in turnovers per game with 4.7 a night. Wednesday night saw a few more unforced errors in his passing game, as he turned the ball over three times in the first half.

Hitting the Brooks: Rookie MarShon Brooks — who was traded by the Celtics for JaJuan Johnson[11] on draft day — started for the Nets and finished with 15 first-half points. New Jersey often ran its offense through the Providence College product. Meanwhile, Johnson did not see the floor for the Celtics in the first half.